The present invention relates to a mounting system for mounting an aircraft engine to an aircraft. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fail-safe engine mounting system that transmits between the engine and aircraft axial thrust loads, as well as lateral and vertical loads, in the event of a failure of the main load-transmitting elements.
Aircraft engines, such as turbojet engines and turbofan engines, are mounted on an aircraft in such a way as to transmit to the airframe of the aircraft engine thrust loads to propel the aircraft. At the same time, the engine-to-airframe mounting system must also be capable of sustaining pitch, roll, yaw, and other loads that pass between the engine and airframe. Such loads are the result of aircraft maneuvers, and they impose upon the engine axial loads that extend in the direction of the engine longitudinal axis, as well as loads that extend in a direction transverse to the engine longitudinal axis.
Turbojet and turbofan aircraft engines are commonly connected with an airframe at forward and aft points on the engine, typically at relatively rigid annular frame members that connect with annular engine casing sections. At least one of the mounts is intended to transmit engine thrust loads to the airframe. One form of such thrust-transmitting components is a thrust link arrangement that extends in a generally axial direction, relative to the engine longitudinal axis. Frequently, thrust links are provided in pairs, so that thrust loads can continue to be transmitted by one such link should the other link fail for some reason. However, dual thrust links impose a significant weight penalty because of the redundancy they provide. Accordingly, it is desirable to eliminate one thrust link to reduce the overall weight of the engine-to-airframe mounting system, while still providing sufficient load-carrying capacity should a single thrust link fail to transmit thrust loads.
In addition to utilizing only a single thrust link for weight reduction purposes, it is also desirable to provide a fail-safe arrangement in the event of failure of mount system components other than a thrust link.